Many areas of Orange County, Durham County and the rest of central North Carolina are again under a flash flood warning and storm advisory on Wednesday night after historic rainfall and catastrophic flooding just days before.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Durham at 8:37 p.m. Wednesday, indicating flood waters are rising with rainfall from a passing storm system. The warning — which urges people in lower-lying areas to seek higher ground and urges travelers to avoid any standing water — is set to last through 1:45 a.m. on Thursday.

The area was already under a severe thunderstorm warning from the storm system, as well as much of northeastern Chatham County.

The Town of Chapel Hill shared an alert at 8:44 p.m. saying several roads are being blocked by high waters. They included:

  • South Estes Drive at Willow Drive
  • Umstead Drive at Greene Street
  • West Franklin St. at Mallette Street
  • West Rosemary Street at Pritchard Avenue
  • Hillsborough Street near Bolinwood Drive

By 10:25 p.m., however, all of those roads had reopened. Additional updates from Chapel Hill can be found on its dedicated Emergency Updates webpage.

The local government urged people to avoid those areas and treat the roads as closed, reminding them to never drive, bike or walk through floodwater or going around barricades meant to close roads.

Durham Police, meanwhile, also shared several roads to avoid because of flood waters. They include 15-501 at Garrett Road, Anderson Road at Chapel Hill Road, North Duke Street at West Morgan Street and the 4200 block of University Drive.

Wednesday’s rain comes after Sunday’s record-setting rainfall from Tropical Depression Chantal with some areas of Orange County seeing more than 10 inches of rain in the evening, which triggered intense flash flooding. Emergency personnel conducted dozens of water rescues in areas, with the dangerous waters wrecking homes, businesses and key infrastructure.

Orange County is maintaining an emergency mass-care shelter at Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill for people displaced by floodwaters. The local government also announced plans to open an assistance center offering further recovery resources on Thursday at the Drakeford Library Complex in Carrboro.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
'There's No Reassurance': Eastgate Merchants Navigate Rebuilds in Chapel Hill Shopping Center
Tenants of Chapel Hill's Eastgate Crossing joined 97.9 The Hill to discuss short-term and long-term recovery efforts after Chantal's floods.
Gov. Stein Surveys Flooding Damage in Chapel Hill, Pledges to 'Do Everything We Can' for Relief
Gov. Josh Stein toured some of the Chapel Hill residences and businesses damaged by Chantal's flooding nearly two weeks prior.
Raising Cane's, Snooze Locations in Chapel Hill Welcome First Customers
Chapel Hill gained two new restaurants this week, as both the chicken fingers chain Raising Cane’s and the breakfast eatery Snooze officially opened their doors to patrons. Raising Cane’s held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday morning, opening the restaurant earlier than normal to celebrate its new location at the corner of East Franklin Street and […]
'Snooze' Eatery Announces Opening Date in Chapel Hill's Eastgate Crossing
Snooze A.M. Eatery has officially set a date for its first Triangle-based location to open. After months of renovation in the Suite 3 space of Chapel Hill’s Eastgate Crossing shopping center, the breakfast restaurant plans to open for business on Wednesday, November 8. “We’re excited to continue to grow our Snooze community in North Carolina,” […]
Chapel Hill Changes Its Leaf Collection Policy to Only Accept Containers
With the fall season approaching, the Town of Chapel Hill is changing how it collects leaves and is no longer collecting loose piles.
Labor Day to Affect Local Government Services Around Orange County Community (2025)
Monday marks the observance of Labor Day, which is meant to celebrate the contribution of workers and employees across the United States. With that, the local governments in Orange County will be giving many of their employees the day off, which will affect certain local government services. Ahead of the holiday on Monday, September 1, […]
Facing End of Temporary Shelter, Displaced Camelot Village Residents Lament Landlord Inaction and Limited Options
Some flood victims from Camelot Village have not received July rent or security deposits back even as they face financial and housing strains.
'It Has Been Devastating': Chapel Hill Leaders on Recovering From Chantal
After the devastation of Tropical Depression Chantal, local leaders weigh in on how we can help each other now - and plan for the future.
'Everything Is A Complete Loss': Eastgate Crossing Businesses Assess Flood Damage
At Chapel Hill's Eastgate Crossing shopping center, Tropical Depression Chantal left not a single business unscathed.
Days After Historic Rain, Chapel Hill and Durham Under Another Flash Flood Warning
Many areas of Orange County, Chatham County and the rest of central North Carolina are again under a flash flood warning on Wednesday.
›